exploitation

“Maniac,”starring Elijah Wood as the maniac killer, is a remake of a 1980 slasher of the same name, and while the recent trend of pointless and half-assed remakes has turned many horror fans off of remakes altogether, I think this is the kind of movie that shows exactly the type of potential that remakes have by showcasing a level of care and craftsmanship that is rare for a horror film, let alone a horror film remake.

I’ve been reading some of the reviews from people who have been to screenings of Rob Zombie’s latest film and they all point to Alejandro Jodorowsky as a huge influence. I’ve been really psyched about this movie, and since God only knows when we’ll get to see a wide release of “The Lords of Salem,” I figured the next best thing would be to watch something by Jodorowsky instead.

Every now and then I’ll stumble across a movie at my university library that I imagine someone must have snuck by an unwitting librarian. Such is the case with "Blind Beast", a bizarre Japanese sexploitation film from 1969.

Blind Beast tells the story of a blind sculptor who is so obsessed with a particular nude model that he decides to kidnap her with the help of his mother, and take her back to his art studio in the hopes of creating an entirely new genre of art for blind people (and doing a lot of groping).

More often than not, 70's era exploitation films produced some really great, alluring posters when in reality the actual movies were pretty weak. Such is the case with "Trip With The Teacher", which centers around four teen girls who take a trip... with their teacher.

In a genre whose fans pride themselves on being able to stomach whatever is thrown their way, horror directors continue to push buttons in an attempt to leave a lasting impression. Many amateur filmmakers often choose to keep their finger on the shock button rather than craft an experience that truly sticks. Despite offering up the semi-memorable "Gutterballs" in 2008, director Ryan Nicholson falls headlong into the abyss of forced depravity with 2009's "Hanger."

Sometimes trailers tell you a hell of a lot about what your feature has in store for you. If you combine your impression of the trailers preceding the film with your expectations of a title like “Blood and Sex Nightmare” you could save yourself an hour or so. But if you are at all like me, you carry enough admiration for a straightforward approach and the promise of poorly lit boobs slathered in corn syrup that you’ll press-on.

On the special features for “Amateur Pornstar Killer” director/star Shane Ryan cites “8mm” as inspiration for his micro-budget sleaze fest. He explains that the short 'snuff' piece at the center of the “8mm” plot was what really fired his imagination. Ryan is has a good eye for material; the snippet is an entrancing little slice of verite that is both effective and enduring. The potency of this grimy bit of footage is made plain by one laborious pass through the entirety of the tepid, turn of the millennium Nic Cage vehicle.

I’ll just come out and admit it: I like microbudget horror movies more in theory than in practice. I love the idea of hardcore fans with a lot of passion and no money getting together on the weekends with anybody who will work cheap enough and saying “Let’s put on a show! With decapitations!” Unfortunately, the end results of these Karo syrup and red food coloring soaked outings tend to show that passion is no substitute for talent and that a little money is often the difference between a bad movie and an unwatchable movie.